The Near Distant Future
by Merrymime
Summary: An ER doc is having trouble with his daughter. Can you guess who they are before I tell you at the end?


Disclaimer: Me no own ER.   
  
Okay, a little story I wrote when I had a brain block on the other story I've been writing the past few weeks, so I decided to write this that doesn't require much thought. It's a little corny and not very realistic, but idealistic. I purposefully leave out detail until the end so you can figure it out...like you don't know who they are, right?  
  
PG - For very mild language.  
  
The Near Distant Future  
  
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The pretty girl walked into the living room of her home.  
  
"Hey," she said to the gentleman on the couch.  
  
He looked up from the book on his lap. "Hey."  
  
She came and sat by him resting her head on his shoulder, looking down at the book he was reading.  
  
"Whatcha readin'?" she asked politely.  
  
He eyed her suspiciously. "Oh, just a medical study on the use of pinecone needles to cure cancer," he joked.  
  
She gave him a look like he was so stupid. She didn't say anything, though. She just sat there with her head on his shoulder, acting all cute.  
  
"Can I have 20 bucks?" she asked so sweetly.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Nothin'," she paused then resumed, "just the movies."  
  
"By yourself?"  
  
"No, with friends," she said snootily, like he was so stupid not to know that.  
  
"I don't like your friends."  
  
She got off his shoulder and gave him a dirty look. "You don't even know my friends."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"So I can't go?!"  
  
He finally looked up from his book. "No," he said plainly.  
  
"Gaw, you never let me do anything."  
  
"Yeah, that's about the way of it."  
  
"That is so unfair."  
  
"Hmm-hmm."  
  
"You know, I bet my real dad would have let me go." She gave him an attitude and thought herself real clever.  
  
"Oh, don't even," he said with a little smile curling on his face. He never used to use little phrases like that, but living with her had affected his vocabulary.  
  
"Well, I'm sure he would have done a whole lot better than you." She still had her little attitude.  
  
"Oh, ooooh, ouch." He put his hand to his chest. "You cut me to the heart." He was being sarcastic and over dramatic, still smiling.  
  
"My friend April gets to do whatever she wants."  
  
"April? Did I meet April?"  
  
"Yes. She's the one with the red hair and glasses remember? If I told you I was going with her would you let me?"  
  
"Oh yeah, April. I didn't like her."  
  
"Dad."  
  
"Look, if you bring the little brats...er...sorry...friends over here for me to meet them and IF I like them, you can go, okay?"  
  
She didn't answer. She just looked down at her hands.  
  
"What's his name?" he asked.  
  
She got offended. "You know, that is so like you to just automatically think it's a guy."  
  
He just kept looking at her waiting for the answer.  
  
"Chip," she replied sheepishly.  
  
"Chiiiip...?" He was wanting to know the boy's last name. She just furrowed her brow at that question. "You don't know his last name?"  
  
"Oh, come on, dad. Nobody knows anybody's last names at school. Man, damn it."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Dang it."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
There was a long time where neither of them spoke. "So, if I bring him here and you meet him and you like him, can I go?" She was now using a puppy dog eyes tactic.  
  
"Maybe. How old is Chimp...er...Chip?"  
  
"He's not that old." She wasn't very convincing. He just kept looking at her. "He's 16," she mumbled looking at the floor.  
  
He put his hand behind his ear to hear her better. "I'm sorry?"  
  
She looked up. "He's 18."  
  
"Uh, no."  
  
"Oh come on, please. That's only 4 years. You're 5 years older than mom."  
  
"Yeah, I didn't meet her when she was 12."  
  
"I'm 14."  
  
"Same thing!"  
  
"Whatever!"  
  
"You can't go out with an 18 year old. That's it. The end."  
  
"That's so unfair. Why do you always gotta be like that? You never trust me. I never get to do anything."  
  
"Okay, you want to know the truth." He put his book aside for good and leaned her way. "Believe it or not, I love you and I care about you and I don't want to see you get hurt."  
  
"Well, I promise I won't get raped or murdered or high, okay?"  
  
"Oh, that works." She just looked away from him with her nose up in the air. She looked like her mother. "Look, I see a lota crap at work. I don't ever wanna see you there. So I have to know where you are at all times and who you're with and I have to approve of them. That's all there is to it. I'd be a bad parent if I didn't."  
  
"Well, if I ever end up at your work it's 'cause you drove me to it." For a second she was proud of her little statement, but then she felt guilty when he looked at her.  
  
"Okay, go to your room."  
  
"You can't make me go to my room."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"I'd like to see you try."  
  
At that he stood up, grabbed her off the couch with his right arm and slung her over his shoulder. He started walking towards her room.  
  
"Oh my God," she said. "You're gonna drop me. I can feel it. I'm falling."  
  
"I've carried ya since you were two with one arm. Never dropped ya once."  
  
Just then, mom came home. She was beat. The first thing she saw was him carrying her daughter over his shoulder.  
  
"What's going on?" mom asked.  
  
"Nothing," they both said to her in unison. He got her to her room, opened her door, plopped her on her bed, then left, shutting the door behind her. The young girl opened the door back again almost immediately as he was walking away.  
  
"I hate you!" she yelled.  
  
"I love you, too!" he responded back. She slammed the door.  
  
"What was that all about?" asked his wife.  
  
"I'll tell ya later," he said as he kissed her gently. "You hungry?"  
  
"No, I'm too tired to eat." She plopped on the couch and just closed her eyes. He sat down beside her and just stared at her. "Do you have to work in the morning?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm in by 7."  
  
"Okay," she sighed. She brought her arm over her eyes as she just stayed there still for a while. He thought she might fall asleep. He just kept staring at her and then he leaned over and kissed her very sensually on the lips. He kissed her about 4 or 5 times, enjoying the softness of her lips and tongue. He finally pulled away.  
  
"What was that for?" she asked.  
  
"Nothin'," he replied all cute.  
  
She sighed. "Robert, I'm sorry. I'm really tired. I need to go to sleep."  
  
He just smiled. "Elizabeth, I just wanted to kiss you." They just looked each other in the eyes a while, smiling.  
  
"I love you, Robert."  
  
"I love you, too...more everyday."  
  
"Good-night." She kissed him lightly again as she got up. "You coming?"  
  
"Hm, in a minute."  
  
"Okay." As she was walking down the hall to the bedroom, she passed by her daughter's room and knocked on the door, "Ella?"  
  
"Yeah," Ella replied pathetically. Elizabeth went inside and shut the door behind her. Robert had gotten out his book again. He at least wanted to finish the chapter before going to bed. About 10 minutes later, Elizabeth walked back out, smiled at Robert, then went to bed.  
  
A couple of minutes later Ella walked out of her room and went to the living room. She didn't sit down, but just stood there with her arms folded. She was looking a little guilty. "I'm sorry," she said roughly while looking at the wall.  
  
"It's okay," stated Robert. She turned away to go back to her room. "16," he said to her out of the blue with a sigh.  
  
"What?" she asked turning back around confused.  
  
"If you find a guy who's no older than 16 and I meet him and I like him, then you can go on a date."  
  
"Fine," she answered with a sigh. She was too tired to argue. She didn't really like any of the boys her age, but she might be able to find one. After all, most of the boys did like her. She just went over to him on the couch and hugged him good-night.  
  
"'Night, dad."  
  
"'Night, sweetie."  
  
He hugged her, kissed her on the cheek and she went to bed. He subsequently went to bed and fell asleep, holding his beautiful wife. 


End file.
